No 5

(Scientific & Biblical Creationism)

When we read the Bible as Christians, we understand it to be the infallible and inerrant Word of God. When we discuss issues such as Creationism with non-believers, we are faced with the fact that not all people believe the Bible. So what are we to do? Let us look at the difference between Biblical Creationism and Scientific Creationism.

BIBLICAL CREATIONISM

This is pretty straightforward; the Creation account in Genesis is self-explanatory. There are differences of opinion but we can still talk about how the Lord planned His creation in detail, assuming the audience is composed of believers. In Genesis 1, there is a day by day explanation of Creation and we see the progression to the final masterpiece of God's work: man and woman. In Genesis 2 there seems to be a repetition of the Creation account, but this time the order is not chronological but more on a priority basis where the Lord begins with the creation of man.

SCIENTIFIC CREATIONISM

When we talk about Creation with non-believers, our strategy has to be different; don't forget, they do not accept the Bible as we do. So you ask, is it possible to speak to non- believers about Creation and not mention the Bible, not even once? The answer is yes, definitely yes. We use non-Biblical facts such as : a young earth (not more than 12, 000 years old); the world's population; a shrinking sun; DNA in all living things; age dating methods; the strata in mountains (Grand Canyon/ Mt St Helen's); the fossil record; and many, many, more. Discussions with non-believers about these scientific subjects require some knowledge and one can acquire this knowledge by reading good books on the subject or going to the following web sites and downloading the information : The Institute for Creation Research at www.icr.org or its Quebec equivalent in French ?

We must not be afraid to confront people with this information. By doing this, we level out the playing field because we talk their own language and, Lord willing, we will be able to present the Creator and His wonderful plan of salvation for all mankind.